In electrical engineering, a vacuum interrupter is a mechanical switch which makes and breaks electrical contact in a vacuum. The purpose of making, and in particular breaking, the electrical contact in vacuum is to quickly extinguish the resulting vacuum arc which occurs when a high voltage electrical contact is broken or separated from one another. Vacuum interrupters are used, for example, in utility power transmission systems and in power-distribution systems and industrial plants. For example, vacuum interrupters can be used for circuit-breakers and load switches. Circuit-breaker vacuum interrupters are primarily used in the power sector in substation and power-grid facilities, and load-switching vacuum interrupters are primarily used for power-grid end users. Like other equipment, vacuum interrupters degrade over time.
At the present time, when a vacuum interrupter degrades sufficiently, it requires replacement, which may be costly. In addition, due to the large number of vacuum interrupter models and ratings, acquiring a direct replacement may be difficult, or may take an undesirably long amount of time. Therefore, the present practice of replacing vacuum interrupters is undesirable, and there is a long felt need in the technical field for a way to recondition vacuum interrupters so as to extend their service life.